


Brown County

by awkwardkermitfrog



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, Gum - Freeform, How do I tag again, forest, forest patrol gone wrong, spooky stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 06:22:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13001724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardkermitfrog/pseuds/awkwardkermitfrog
Summary: @mythical-kpuff sent me a VERY interesting prompt: "If you hear screaming in the night, whatever you do, don't run towards the screaming." That was the gist of it.





	Brown County

Link adjusted his sleeves, nervously looking out his car window towards a small building resembling a log cabin. He bit his lip, thumb tapping on the steering wheel, considering his choice of clothing for the day - professional, but not too professional. A powder blue button up with blue jeans and work boots, allowing him to look cleaned up as well as a bit rugged. Link figured that since he’d come from an office job into park work, it would make sense for him to try and branch his dress on his first day with something in the middle of the two. 

After another moment of deliberation, he found himself exiting the car, as if on autopilot, and walking up to the green door of the building. 

“Come in!” A voice from inside interrupted Link’s second knock. Link paused, startled, and then opened the cool handle.

It was a lot to take in at first glance. There was a desk, adorned with the oldest computer monitor Link had seen in recent history, as well as several personal items like photos and figurines. There was a deer’s head, mounted to the wall, wearing a Colt’s hat. Maps and photographs were everywhere, sometimes piled on top of each other. An old fashioned looking television was hooked up to a VCR, playing a Christmas movie at a low volume. 

Sitting at the desk, scrolling through the computer, was a blonde man wearing flannel, suspenders, and a green hat that read  _ Brown County State Park _ . His jaw worked, slowly, as if he were chewing gum, and his green eyes were slightly out of focus as he stared, bored, at the old fashioned computer screen. 

“Hello, I’m Lincoln, I’m the new.. I’m the new guy.” Link held out his hand to the man, where it hung for a moment, before he put it down. “Most people call me Link.”

“Link.” The man looked up from his software stupor and squinted at him, still chewing something. Tobacco? “I’m Rhett, I’ll be taking you around today.” He stood up from the desk, and Link was immediately struck with how tall he was. “Would you like some gum?”

“Some.. what, sir?” Link blinked, surprised.

“Gum.” Rhett reached onto the desk and produced a package of  _ Bubblicious- Cherry Fruit Flavor! _ He watched as Link took a piece from it, opening the paper delicately and stuffing the wrapper in his pocket. 

“Thank you.” Link sucked the piece gingerly, unsure what else to do. He’d read somewhere that if someone offers you food or drink at a job interview, you should always say yes. He chewed, gently, on the slightly stiff treat as he looked at Rhett, waiting for the next step in their tour. 

“Great.” Rhett set the package down and leaned back on the desk. “So, have you been shown around yet?”

“No, sir.” Link shook his head, looking at Rhett expectantly. Rhett sighed. 

“Alright. Well, I’m Rhett, as you know, I’ll be one of your supervisors. My job is basically to make sure you’re doing yours. There isn’t always a lot of work, but when it happens it tends to happen all at once.” Rhett turned and gestured to the deer on the wall. “That’s Randall. I shot him in ‘82. Feel free to come and talk to him if you have any questions I can’t answer. Or talk to me.”

Link nodded, trying not to smirk at the eccentricities of the man. 

“Alright. Follow me.” Rhett gestured to a hallway Link hadn’t previously seen and began to walk down it, flicking on a switch as he went. “Chase always turns this light off, for some reason. Says it helps the park’s budget.” Link suddenly found himself in another office, this one much more organized. On the desk was a black and white photo of a female wrestler. Sitting at the desk was a younger man, also in flannel, who looked up at the two of them as they entered. “Chase, this is Lincoln. He’s the new guy.”

“Link, actually.” Link held out his hand to Chase, who took it and gave it a small shake. 

“Nice to meet you. You done park work before?” Chase asked, smiling brightly. It seemed to Link that Chase’s eyes did more smiling than his mouth.

“No, I come from engineering. But I really wanted a change of pace.” Link explained, stepping away from the desk. He looked at Rhett, wondering what would be said next.

“Ah. Well I hope it’s what you’re looking for.” Chase said, still cheerful. 

“Com’n. I’ll show you your office.” Rhett began to walk away, up some wooden stairs Link hadn’t previously taken in, and flicked on another light switch as he did so. “Sorry it’s so dusty. It’s been a long time since anyone used this area.”

“It’s fine.” Link half-lied, the dust from the steps choking his nose slightly. He looked at his hand, which had been running up the hand rail, and found that it was covered in soft dust. He shook it, patting it on his thigh, and looked up at Rhett, who was watching him, chewing. Link swallowed, hard, and felt a lump of gum crawl down his throat.

“This is your desk.” Rhett gestured to an old wooden desk, covered in dust, housing an older computer and monitor. There was a single chair, and next to a window, an analog clock. The rest of the room was completely barren.

“What do I do with it?” Link asked inquisitively, stepping forward. “Are there reports I need to file?”

“Well, sort of. You’ll be in charge of making sure that restroom supplies are ordered, that cabins are stocked with supplies, that kind of thing. You’ll also be doing two patrols for our area - one in the evening, and one late at night.” Rhett explained. “It’s a relatively easy job. Go out to the cabins before the guests arrive, make sure they’re clean and stocked. If not, we have a supply shed that I’ll show you here in a bit. Basically your main work is going to be making sure that that shed has what it needs so that you can take out of it what you need. You have twelve cabins to oversee. And you won’t be actually cleaning them - we have cleaning staff for that. Just make sure that they get notified if something’s coming up, preferably ahead of time. We don't’ want them to get overwhelmed.”

“Okay.” Link nodded. He crossed over to the computer and bent down under the desk, pressing on the power button, waiting. “Does this thing turn on?”

“It’ll take a few minutes. I’d recommend just leaving it on, so that you don’t have to wait every day.” Rhett shrugged. “There’s a software program you can use to reorder supplies I can show you on my computer. I don’t know if it’ll be on yours yet.”

“What happened to the last guy who worked the position? He up and quit?” Link asked, jokingly, grinning. He looked up at Rhett, who was not smiling, and quickly cleared his throat. “I mean - lots of people quit. I’m sure it happens.”

“Yeah.” Rhett nodded. He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Come on, I’ll show you your living quarters. Oh, and - one piece of advice.”

Link watched Rhett, curious. “Yeah?”

“If you hear a woman, screaming, like, in the forest on one of your patrols?” 

“Yeah…?” Link raised an eyebrow, concerned. “What… what about that?”

“Do not, under any circumstances, run towards the screaming.” Rhett’s face was serious, somber. “Do you understand?” 

Link blinked. “Why not?”

“Just trust me.” Rhett bit down on his gum, hard, and watched Link’s face change to one of confusion. “Please. For your safety. Alright?”

“Okay.” Link nodded, swallowing again. 

“Alright. Now if we go down here....”

* * *

  
  


Link scrolled through his laptop, sitting on his bed, observing his cabin. It was very small, a one room little thing with a bathroom containing a shower barely large enough for him to stand. Link wondered if, given Rhett’s size, he simply washed himself in a sink. 

He sighed, shutting the laptop gently, leaning back on the bed. It seemed that tomorrow the real work would begin. 

Link stood up, lifting the laptop off his body, and walking across the room to place it on a small table that would serve as his kitchen table. A shuffle across the floor, the sounds of crickets in the night - and something else.

Link paused, laptop hovering over the table in his right hand, listening, ears twitching. It had sounded like a whine, a high pitched sound, from deep within the woods. 

He set the laptop on the table, gently, and moved towards the door, hand lingering on the handle, listening. 

There it was again - a high pitched whine, like - like a scream. Like a woman screaming. 

Link’s hand tightening on the handle, thinking. 

_ “If you hear a woman, screaming, like, in the forest on one of your patrols?.... Do not, under any circumstances, run towards the screaming.”  _

Link held onto the handle, listening, heart thumping in his chest, breathing small, quiet breaths. He could feel his hand sweating. He listened, ears focused, waiting. There were only the sounds of the night, only crickets. 

After several minutes, Link moved his hand away from the door knob and stared out the little window in the door. He then moved his hand to the deadbolt and locked it.

 

* * *

 

“So, how’re you liking the work so far?” 

Link looked up to see Chase standing in the doorway of his office, arms crossed, a smile plastered on his face.

“Oh. It’s alright. Computer’s slow.” Link gestured to the monitor, where he’d been trying for several minutes to order toilet paper. “Other than that, okay.”

“Rhett asked me to go through the bathrooms with you. Just to make sure you don’t forget stuff. ‘Cause you’re new - not because he doesn’t trust you.” Chase tilted his head, watching Link stare at the screen. “I can come back later if you’d like, though.”

“No… I should get away from this stupid thing.” Link shook his head and stood, stretching his arms over his head. “I’ve been trying to order toilet paper for twenty freakin’ minutes. I need to see something else.”

“Yeah… for as much as they spend on the tourists, you’d think they’d buy us newer equipment.” Chase shrugged. “Come on. I’ll drive us out.” 

Link followed Chase down the small, creaky stairwell, past Chase’s office, and past Rhett, who was staring absently at another Christmas movie. The two walked out the door and wordlessly moved towards a large pick up truck.

“So… why all the Christmas movies?” Link asked, climbing into the passenger’s side of the large vehicle. 

“It kind of… helps him.” Chase looked over his shoulder, backing out of the spot, and then turning the vehicle towards the main road of the park. “There’s some stuff that’s happened to him that’s kind of messed up. He spends most of his time trying to find things to be happy about.”

“Like gum.” Link said reflectively, staring out the window, watching the trees pass by. 

“Yeah.” Chase smiled at Link, who was still staring out the window, thoughtful. “Like gum. Lately he really loves the cherry.”

“What has - am I allowed to know what happened?” Link found the question slipping out of his mouth in spite of himself, the words rolling over his tongue of their own accord. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t, I’m - I shouldn’t ask.”

“I’m not really at liberty to say details.” Chase stared out the windshield, looking uncomfortable.

“Oh.” Link nodded. “Right.”

“It’s okay to ask. But… maybe wait for him to tell you. Or not.” Chase turned the truck into the parking lot of the first rest stop. “Come on. Let’s go see what weird stuff people are flushing down toilets.”

* * *

  
  
  


Link sat on the edge of his bed, checking his watch. It would soon be his turn to do his first patrol - fifteen minutes away. 

He glanced at his laptop, which was on the kitchen table, playing Netflix that he wasn’t watching. He looked around the cabin, at how little was in it. It almost looked like it hadn’t been previously lived in… almost too clean. Almost uncomfortably clean, antiseptic. 

Link jumped at the sound of three knocks on his door. He stood up, slightly shaken, and looked out the little window, flicking on the porch light.

Rhett was standing there, chewing.

Link opened the door, looking up at the taller man. “There something you need from me, Rhett?”

“I asked you to call me sir.” Rhett raised an eyebrow, looking at Link with dissatisfaction. 

“Right. I’m sorry, sir.” Link looked away, unsure how to tell him that the conversation had not transpired. “What do you need?”

“I was going to go on your first patrol with you. Make sure you know what to do, what not to do.” Rhett gestured with a nod to the outside. “You ready to go?”

“Yes - let me grab my jacket first.” Link hastily put on a light brown windbreaker and turned back to Rhett, who was simply wearing a button up shirt. “Ready.”

“Right.” Rhett nodded, and began to walk out into the night. Link followed, nervous, fumbling with the lock at his door, then turning to Rhett, who was watching him, waiting. 

“Alright. You got your flashlight?” Rhett asked, pulling out his own.

“Yes sir.” Link pulled a small flashlight out of his windbreaker pocket, a small silver thing. He turned it on and the ground in front of them was immediately flooded with yellowish light. He looked up at Rhett, expecting him to look pleased, but found that instead he looked rather bored. He flicked the flashlight off.

“And your pepper spray? And your taser?” Rhett asked, beginning to walk out in front of him. Link followed, trying to quickly catch up with Rhett’s long legs. He turned on his own flashlight, which was considerably brighter than Link’s, to illuminate their path.

“Yes sir.” Link patted his other pocket. “What is the taser for? I thought Indiana didn’t have bears.”

“No, it’s more for belligerent people.” Rhett explained, turning down another path. “It’s to be used as a last resort in case someone attacks you.” 

“Oh.” Link nodded, following Rhett carefully, looking mostly at the ground, following the path of Rhett’s flashlight, trying to step over roots and rocks. “Does that happen a lot?”

“Not a whole lot, no.” Rhett turned to the left. “You gonna remember this path?”

“Yes sir.” Link was panting slightly, unused to Rhett’s fast walking pace. 

“You should take up a hobby. This place doesn’t have a lot going on for us.” Rhett stepped over a large branch and began to walk down a natural stair. Link followed, stepping more carefully than before.

“Like you and your Christmas movies?” Link asked, trying not to fall forward. Rhett grunted. They reached the bottom of the stair and took a right. “Are there cabins around here?” 

“There’s a few.” Rhett gestured with his flashlight to two small buildings in the distance. “This is kind of just to make sure no one’s underage drinking. Now that does happen a lot. Kids come out on vacation with mom and dad, sneak out into the woods with dad’s beer, and we have to haul them to the main office, call their cabin.” He sighed, his walk slowing slightly, as he took another right. 

“Oh.” Link nodded. “That makes sense.” 

“What’s your favorite gum, Link?” Rhett asked over his shoulder, as Link was still slightly behind him.

“Oh… I don’t know. Bubblegum I guess.” Link shrugged, looking at the woods in the darkness, feeling slightly tense at the darkness. “I never thought about it.”

“Hmm.” Rhett nodded. “Bubblegum.” He slowed further, along Link to walk beside him. He looked far removed, distant. 

They took several more twists and turns, mostly silent, occasionally making small talk. Sore legs carried Link through the forest, and the entire time he was more grateful for Rhett’s presence than he’d admit. The forest was unsettling, its branches twisting into darkness. More than once Link was hit in the face with a branch, or tripped over a rock. When he saw the porch light of his little cabin approaching, he felt a huge wave of relief.

“Alright. So once at ten, and once at one. You got the trail?” Rhett asked, pausing in front of Link’s cabin.

“I think so, sir.” Link nodded, hesitant to disappoint his employer with the knowledge that he had not, in fact, automatically memorized the path. 

Rhett gave a slight, knowing nod. “Alright. Let me know if you need anything. I need you to do that path again at one.” 

“Am, sir?” Link asked, eyebrows raised.

“Yep.” Rhett shook his head. “One in the morning.”

“Alright.” Link nodded. “I can do that.” 

“Remember. Report any unusual things to me. If you do catch teenagers drinking, call me. I will come out there and help you get them to the main station. Got that?” Rhett shuffled his feet, looking at Link, chewing his gum.

“Yes sir.” Link nodded. “I got that.” 

“Alright. Have a good night.” Rhett saluted Link, the silliest thing Link had seen him do, and began to walk away, towards his own living quarters. Link watched him disappear into the darkness, frowning, unsure how to tell his employer about the unusual activity he’d heard the night before.

* * *

  
  


Link stared out the window of his office, arms crossed. He had been attempting to order more toilet paper for several minutes and had eventually, once again, given up, restarting the old machine against Rhett’s advice.

It was a beautiful place, Link was sure of that. Brown County was known nationally for its beauty, especially in autumn. Link was looking forward immensely to the leaves changing the coming months, but not so much to figuring out the heat in his little cabin.

He turned to the office, which was almost as bare as when he’d entered it. He’d added a photo of his childhood pet, Jade, to the desk. She had been a little dog, a sweet thing, very attached to him, and he missed her immensely. Other than Jade, though, Link had never been attached much to anyone, going through life mostly alone. It had made the solitary work of engineering more enjoyable, and had attracted him to working in the park as a ranger of sorts. He liked the solitary walks, the office, the smell of everything. It smelled like a new life, a new home.

Linked turned back to the computer, then to the clock. Twenty minutes for the thing to start up. He groaned quietly and walked down the stairs, ignoring Chase’s empty chair and over to Rhett’s office. 

Link looked in, expecting Rhett to be watching a movie, or to at least be watching one while working, but was surprised to see the office empty. He sighed, wrapping his fingertips on the desk, and looked at all the the little things that littered Rhett’s workplace. He walked, still tapping his fingers on the desk, along the walls, and looked closely at one of the maps, noticing for the first time that there were red thumb tacks all over it. 

Link tilted his head, inquisitive. The thumb tacks did not mark rest stops, cabins, or other landmarks. They seemed, to him, utterly random, with one exception - each was within five miles of his cabin. He reached up, putting his finger on one of the tacks, curious.

“You need something?”

Link’s whole body twitched with surprise, reeling around to see Rhett standing there, arms crossed, chewing his gum.

“Yeah - well. I wanted to talk to you about my computer?” Link found himself moving, somewhat unconsciously away from the map. “It’s making it hard to do my job.”

“How so?” Rhett chewed his gum, staring at Link, expression unchanged.

“Right - well. I can’t use it to order the stuff. And it keeps freezing and crashing. Like I’ll be doing something and it just crashes.” Link had moved farther from the wall and was now moving around the desk, towards the door, without even thinking. 

“I’ll look into it.” Rhett moved around him, over to his desk, and sat down. Link stared after him for a moment, watching him turn on the television and put in a VHS of an older film,  _ Scrooge _ . The film began to play, static playing in the background. Link backed out the door, unsure where his sudden nervousness had come from.

* * *

  
  


Link looked at the ground, not observing the forest, flashlight illuminating his path. He had not yet confessed to Rhett that he had no idea what he was doing on the trail, but instead had chosen a random path every night, not thinking much on his nightly walks so long as he made it back to his cabin.

Why was there a map with red tacks? Red tacks that marked nothing, led to nowhere? Link had gone back and located where they were, using his freetime to investigate the locations. There was nothing special about them. Several were just trees, some with large scratches, as if someone had tried to carve their initials and given up. He stepped over another root and began to walk up a natural stair, slow and careful, trying not to slip or fall.

Link breathed hard, taking a small break to observe the forest and catch himself at the top of the stair. His flashlight went out into the forest, briefly lighting up trees and changing leaves. He leaned on a tree trunk and closed his eyes, letting out a long, low sigh.

“Help me!”

Link’s eyes shot open, staring out into the dark, flashlight suddenly seeming useless to detect the sound. “Hello?” He called, cautious.

“Help me! Please, please! Help me!” 

It was a woman. It was a woman screaming. 

Link stood still, frozen, staring out into the forest. “Where-”

He stopped. 

_ “If you hear a woman, screaming, like, in the forest on one of your patrols?.... Do not, under any circumstances, run towards the screaming.”  _

Link pulled out his phone and began to dial Rhett, looking around the woods, eyes wide with fear. 

“Hello?” 

“Yes - sir. This is Link. There’s a woman screaming out here. I don’t know what to do.” Link looked around, flashlight moving wildly, breathing quickly. 

“Get out of there. Right now. Get back to your cabin.” 

“But sir - someone could be in trouble!” Link protested, eyes still wide with terror, flashlight sweeping the trees.

“That is an order. If you do not go back to your cabin right now, you’re fired.” 

“Sir-”

Link held the phone, desperately, looking at the call that had been disconnected.

“Help me! Someone! Please!”

It sounded like she was sobbing now, in real pain.

Link let out a cry of frustration and began to run down the stairs, down the path to his cabin, doing his best to ignore his intuition. He ran the entire way, the screams seeming to follow him down the path. He tried not to trip, and ran up the small steps to his cabin door, panting, and slammed the door open and shut.

“Help me! Please, someone!” 

Link sank down onto the floor, flashlight still on, back to the door, and wept. 

* * *

  
  


Link stared at his the ground, swinging in circles in his office chair. He stood up and walked down the stairs, past Chase’s wave, past Rhett staring at his television, and walked out the door.

Link began to walk down the forest paths, fuming, adjusting his jacket now and again, ignoring the tourists taking photos and walking off the path despite the multiple signs asking people not to. He took several turns, looking at the ground, not observing that the trees were turning orange and red around him, and found his legs were taking him to the stair from the night before. 

He reached the top and stared out into the woods, shivering slightly at the wind, and swallowed hard, eyes burning. How could Rhett simply tell him to leave? Why was he so concerned about the screaming woman? Why did he watch Christmas movies? What was he trying to forget?

Link sat down, right in the trail, away from the world, and wrung his hands. It all didn’t make sense. This was supposed to be a simple job, an easy job. 

Who was she? 

He adjusted his sitting and looked over the edge of the trail, down a steep bank, searching for something below that might answer the questions in his head. The forest met him with the sound of wind in the trees and a rustle of leaves. 

Link sighed, frustrated, and stared out at the woods for a long time, his head unable to clear.

* * *

  
  


Three taps on the window.

Link looked around him, at the window next to his bed, covered with a curtain and a set of blinds. Netflix played gently in the background, laptop sitting on his bed next to a box of frosted mini wheats. He looked at his watch - 9:00pm. 

_ Tap. Tap. Tap. _

Slower this time. 

Link raised up, looked at the window curiously, a mixture of interest and fear invading his chest. He reached out and, gently, tapped the frame of the window three times. 

_ TAP TAP TAP. _

Link jumped at the sudden loudness of the sound, heart hammering. He looked at his door and was glad to see it was locked. Breathing hard, Link got his phone out of his pocket, and dialed Rhett.

“Hello?”

“Yeah - sir. It’s Link.” Link breathed quickly, still staring at the window, his chest quickly rising and falling. “I think someone’s trying to break into my cabin.”

“How many taps?”

“Sir?” Link looked at his phone, bewildered, and put it back to his ear.

“How many taps?” 

“Three.” Link looked at the window, eyes huge. “How did you kno-”

“Stay inside. Don’t patrol tonight. Keep your door locked.” 

“But… sir-” Link protested, weakly, still staring at the window.

“That’s an order. If you patrol tonight, you’re fired.” 

“Sir?” Link looked at the phone to see Rhett had disconnected the call. He set it down on his bed and stayed there, frozen in place, until five in the morning.

* * *

  
  


“Chase, can I talk to you?” 

Link watched as Chase quickly put his computer to sleep and turned to Link, eyes wide, smilling. “What’s up?”

“Well…” Link glanced around the office, his thumb circling his belt loop. “Is it just me or is there something kind of weird about this place?”

Chase shrugged and looked around him, as if expecting to see an invisible crowd, and looked back at Link. “What are you talking about?”

“Just - Rhett.” Link moved forward, lowering his voice, and crouched down towards Chase. “Is there something weird about him?”

“Well, lots of things. Be more specific.” Chase’s smile was more and more forced, his eyes losing their natural twinkle.

“Well… first he wouldn’t let me help the woman. Then he told me to stay inside when someone was trying to get into my cabin. And then there’s the map - what the heck is up with a map with random tacks? Rhett seems like he wouldn’t do that.” Link watched as the corners of Chase’s mouth twitched slightly, his smile faltering at the edges. “There’s something weird here, man.”

“I think you need the day off.” Chase turned away from him, fishing in his desk, and pulled out a pack of cherry gum. “I’ll tell Rhett you’re very stressed about taking on everything at once and I’ll take care of your work for the day.”

“No - I don’t need a day off. I need explanations.” Link stood up, frustrated, and looked back at Chase. “I’ve heard that woman twice. Who is she? Why can’t I help her?”

“Trust me.” Chase popped a piece of gum in his mouth and put a new smile on his face, watching Link’s nose twitch with outrage. “You’ll feel better tomorrow. Just - don’t help her, and you’ll be fine.”

“Who - you know what, forget it. I’m gonna google this. And tomorrow I will start looking for a new job. I’m not gonna work at a place that thinks this stuff is normal.” Link stormed out, through Rhett’s empty office, and slammed the door shut. 

* * *

  
  


Link scrolled through his Netflix account, wishing desperately for another form of entertainment. He chuckled slightly at seeing  _ A Christmas Story _ and thought of Rhett’s endless obsession with Christmas movies, wondering to himself for the hundredth time why Chase wouldn’t answer his questions, and why Rhett was so avoidant of them.

He clicked on a movie and paused, listening. There it was again, the high pitched whining sound. 

“Screw it.” Link stood up and walked towards the door, swallowing, putting on his shoes. He put his jacket on with one swift motion and patted his pockets, ensuring his flashlight, pepper spray, and taser were with him. With one deep breath, Link opened the door and listened.

“Help me!” A woman again, screaming, desperate. “Someone, please! Please!” 

Link stepped out of his cabin, listening for the direction of the screaming. There was a horrible sound, like something being strangled, and Link began to run, off the path and into the woods. There were branches everywhere, twigs, leaves, and rocks, but no matter how much Link tripped he kept going. He leapt over a log and moved closer to it, the screams getting louder, heart hammering in his ears, and then he saw her.

She looked like a young woman, judging from her frame and hair. Her face was covered with her hands, her dress white, illuminated by Link’s flashlight and the moon. Her screaming had slowed, but she wept loudly, wailing.

Link bent down into a kneeling position and lowered his flashlight, catching his breath. He looked at her and pushed his glasses up his nose, watching her cry. “Ma’am, I’m with the park rangers. I work for the park. Are you alright?” 

Link watched as the woman looked up at him and gasped, backing away quickly, horrified. Her face was rotten, bloated, like a corpse underwater. On her chest, which had previously been covered by her arms, were spatterings of blood. Link felt his hair stand on end and quite forgot himself, unable to turn away, backing into a tree. She moved towards him slowly, empty eye sockets staring towards him, holding her arms out to him. 

“Help me.” She whispered, moving closer. “I need to eat soon. Help me.” 

Link felt his heart stop in his chest, his fingers move across the treeback, his glasses fall off his face. The moment before she struck, he almost laughed. This job was supposed to be easy.

* * *

  
  


“Another one, sir?” 

Rhett looked at Chase, the daylight in the trees making the blood on the tree shine. “Is it too late to clean the tree?”

“I can do it. I can just like… carve around it.” Chase said with a shrug. “You did warn him, right?”

“Yeah.” Rhett nodded, looking somber. “Yeah, I did.” He turned away, walking from Chase and the tree, staring blankly at the trees. “I’ll schedule another interview soon.”

“You know, we don’t have to keep hiring people.” Chase said pointedly, staring at the bloody tree. “I mean… we could just not fill the position.”

“No. The state forces me to try and fill it.” Rhett sighed, hunching his shoulders. “I’ll see you back at the office.”

* * *

  
  


Alex walked up to the green door of the wooden building, smiling widely. A new job in a new industry! His parents would be pleased to hear he’d finally found full time, steady work. He knocked on the door and waited.

“Come on in.”

Alex opened the door gently, hearing it creak slightly, and looked to see a decorated room. He observed a deer with a Colts hat and a television, where a very tall man was standing and watching A Christmas Story. The man turned to him and didn’t smile, waiting.

“I’m Alex. I’m the new guy.” Alex smiled, holding out his hand. The tall man didn’t take it.

“My name is Rhett. I’ll be your supervisor.” Rhett reached to his desk and pulled out a package of gum and held it out, waiting for Alex’s response. “Do you like bubblegum?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Gosh it's been awhile since I did this. I'm sorry, riley, if I ruined gum for you. But really. I hope it was good.


End file.
